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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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A computer model has been developed that simulates light propagating through an optical data storage system. A model of a laser beam that originates at a laser diode, propagates through an optical system, interacts with a optical disk, reflects back from the optical disk into the system, and propagates to data and servo detectors is discussed.
This paper describes the DC bus regulation control algorithm for the NASA flywheel energy storage system during charge, charge reduction and discharge modes of operation. The algorithm was experimentally verified with results given in a previous paper. This paper presents the necessary models for simulation with detailed block diagrams of the controller algorithm. It is shown that the flywheel system and the controller can be modeled in three levels of detail depending on the type of analysis required. The three models are explained and then compared using simulation results.
This paper presents an assessment of the economic potential of a 5 MW/1.25 MWh Energy Storage System (ESS) installed at the Salem Smart Power Center (SSPC), a smart grid technology demonstration facility owned and operated by Portland General Electric (PGE) in Salem, Oregon. The ESS and the grid conditions in which it operates were modeled using Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Battery Storage Evaluation Tool to explore tradeoffs between services, and to develop optimal control strategies. The analysis resulted in a number of lessons that provide crucial insights into the practical application of ESS.
In this paper, we present results from a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation that was performed to test and demonstrate the impact of a battery energy storage system (BESS) on a distribution feeder. The PHIL platform includes a simulated distribution grid in a real-time digital simulator (RTDS), AC and DC power amplifiers, and a battery inverter as the device under test. Guidelines of specific procedures to set up a PHIL platform are provided on how to set up a PHIL platform to evaluate the impact of grid integrated systems. Accelerated time-series PHIL simulations of peak shaving and Volt/Var functionalities were performed using a 540 kVA BESS. These experimental results illustrate how PHIL simulations can be used to evaluate the impact of BESS functionalities on the distribution grid prior to installation in the field.
Silver-cadmium secondary battery energy storage system using vented cells for manned orbital spacecraft
Impact of pore scale geochemical reactions on evolution of hydraulic and mechanical properties in CO2 storage systems.
A number of Department of Energy (DOE) science applications, involving exascale computing systems and large experimental facilities, are expected to generate large volumes of data, in the range of petabytes to exabytes, which will be transported over wide-area networks for the purpose of storage, visualization, and analysis. The objectives of this proposal are to (1) develop and test the component technologies and their synthesis methods to achieve source-to-sink high-performance flows, and (2) develop tools that provide these capabilities through simple interfaces to users and applications. In terms of the former, we propose to develop (1) optimization methods that align and transition multiple storage flows to multiple network flows on multicore, multibus hosts; and (2) edge and long-haul network path realization and maintenance using advanced provisioning methods including OSCARS and OpenFlow. We also propose synthesis methods that combine these individual technologies to compose high-performance flows using a collection of constituent storage-network flows, and realize them across the storage and local network connections as well as long-haul connections. We propose to develop automated user tools that profile the hosts, storage systems, and network connections; compose the source-to-sink complex flows; and set up and maintain the needed network connections.
This article identifies several examples of industry efforts and successes in removing gaps in energy storage (ES) Codes & Standards (C&S) by updating or creating and publishing new standards. A particular challenge discussed in this article is that while modern battery technologies including lithium ion (Li-ion) increase technical and economic viability of grid energy storage, newer battery technologies also present new or unknown risks to managing the safety of energy storage systems (ESS). There has been progress in filling gaps in published ES C&S that recognize and address the expanding range of technologies and their unique characteristics. However, there remain significant need and opportunity for researchers to contribute to the underlying knowledge base that informs development of technical references and standards, and ultimately the application of published standards for the effective and safe design and use of modern ESS.
An integrated thermal energy storage (TES) system, developed as a part of an organic Rankine cycle solar dynamic power system is described, and the results of the performance verification tests of this TES system are presented. The integrated system consists of potassium heat-pipe elements that incorporate TES canisters within the vapor space, along with an organic fluid heater tube used as the condenser region of the heat pipe. The heat pipe assembly was operated through the range of design conditions from the nominal design input of 4.8 kW to a maximum of 5.7 kW. The performance verification tests show that the system meets the functional requirements of absorbing the solar energy reflected by the concentrator, transporting the energy to the organic Rankine heater, providing thermal storage for the eclipse phase, and allowing uniform discharge from the thermal storage to the heater.
This report describes the status of research being performed under CRADA No. SC10/01771.00 (Lead/Carbon Functionality in VRLA Batteries) between Sandia National Laboratories and East Penn Manufacturing, conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Storage Systems Program. The Quarter 3 Milestone was completed on time. The milestone entails an ex situ analysis of a control as well as three carbon-containing negative plates in the raw, as cast form as well as after formation. The morphology, porosity, and porosity distribution within each plate was evaluated. In addition, baseline electrochemical measurements were performed on each battery to establish their initial performance. These measurements included capacity, internal resistance, and float current. The results obtained for the electrochemical testing were in agreement with previous evaluations performed at East Penn manufacturing. Cycling on a subset of the received East Penn cells containing different carbons (and a control) has been initiated.
Electric utilities and large industrial/commercial customers, which integrate multi-MW multi-string energy storage systems (ESS), are typically at a significant risk of string failure. This results in the loss of system performance and capacity. In order to evaluate the accurate costs and benefits associated with a particular battery system, it is essential to incorporate the costs associated with battery string failure and, as a result, reduced capacity. This report analyzes how the economic losses can be estimated based on market rules and ESS availability. A framework for calculation of economic losses is developed and implemented with an illustrative string failure case for Independent System Operator (ISO-NE) forward capacity market. Further scenarios and case studies are analyzed by varying the probability of string failure as well as the capacity bid into the market. These scenarios are used to assess the variability of economic losses and the impact of string failure on the final realized benefits from the battery's market participation.
Code of the journal paper "A quantum-classical hybrid framework for optimal energy storage systems planning"
Transient heat and mass transfer analysis of supercritical cryogenic storage systems with spherical static heaters by computer program
This is a conference paper presenting an aging management program for stainless steel dry storage system canisters. NRC is lead author of paper. PNNL provided input.
Data analytics is pivotal in assessing the technical characteristics and performance of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), underpinning BESS modeling, optimization, and control. However, raw datasets frequently harbor anomalies from measurement errors and equipment malfunctions, impacting BESS reliability and analysis accuracy To address the challenge, this paper presents a novel methodology for the rapid detection of anomalous charge or discharge cycles within BESS operational data, expediting the cleaning process while ensuring data integrity. We’ve collected diverse and comprehensive real-world BESS operational datasets in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute and multiple Washington State utilities. These datasets serve dual roles: enabling comprehensive data exploration and analysis for understanding underlying challenges and method development, while also acting as a vital validation resource, demonstrating practical effectiveness. The proposed method detects anomalies and aids in their resolution, improving system performance characterization precision. It also reveals recurring data anomaly sources, offering insights for data collection and handling enhancement. Practitioners can gain valuable insights from the identified anomalous cycles in the real-world datasets along with the investigative process for root cause analyses and essential data cleaning steps.
Electric utilities and large industrial/commercial customers, which integrate multi-MW multi-string energy storage systems (ESS), are typically at a significant risk of string failure. This results in loss of system performance and capacity. In order to evaluate the accurate costs and benefits associated with a particular battery system, it is essential to incorporate the costs associated with battery string failure and, as a result, reduced capacity. This report analyzes how the economic losses can be estimated based on market rules and ESS availability. A framework for calculation of economic losses is developed and implemented with an illustrative string failure case for Independent System Operator (ISO-NE) forward capacity market. Further scenarios and case studies are analyzed by varying the probability of string failure as well as the capacity bid into the market. These scenarios are used to assess the variability of economic losses and the impact of string failure on final realized benefits from the battery's market participation.
This report describes the status of research being performed under CRADA No. SC10/01771.00 (Lead/Carbon Functionality in VRLA Batteries) between Sandia National Laboratories and East Penn Manufacturing, conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Storage Systems Program. The Quarter 4 Milestone was completed on time. The milestone entails the initiation of high rate, partial state of charge (HRPSoC) cycling of the carbon enhanced batteries. The morphology, porosity, and porosity distribution within the plates after 1k and 10k cycles were documented, illustrating the changes which take place in the early life of the carbon containing batteries, and as the battery approaches failure due to hard sulfation for the control battery. Longer term cycling on a subset of the received East Penn cells containing different carbons (and a control) continues, and will progress into FY12. Carbon has been explored as an addition to lead-acid battery electrodes in a number of ways. Perhaps the most notable to date has been the hybrid 'Ultrabattery' developed by CSIRO where an asymmetric carbon-based electrochemical capacitor is combined with a lead-acid battery into a single cell, dramatically improving high-rate partial-state-of-charge (HRPSoC) operation. As illustrated below, the 'Ultrabattery' is a hybrid device constructed using a traditional lead-acid battery positive plate (i.e., PbO2) and a negative electrode consisting of a carbon electrode in parallel with a lead-acid negative plate. This device exhibits a dramatically improved cycle life over traditional VRLA batteries, as well as increased charge power and charge acceptance. The 'Ultrabattery' has been produced successfully by both The Furukawa Battery Co. and East Penn Manufacturing. An example illustrating the dramatic improvement in cycle life of the Ultrabattery over a conventional VRLA battery is shown in a graph. In addition to the aforementioned hybrid device, carbon has also been added directly to traditional VRLA batteries as an admixture in both the positive and negative plates, the latter of which has been found to result in similar improvements to battery performance under high-rate partial-state-of-charge (HRPSoC) operation. It is this latter construction, where carbon is added directly to the negative active material (NAM) that is the specific incarnation being evaluated through this program. Thus, the carbon-modified (or Pb-C) battery (termed the 'Advanced' VRLA battery by East Penn Manufacturing) is a traditional VRLA battery where an additional component has been added to the negative electrode during production of the negative plate. The addition of select carbon materials to the NAM of VRLA batteries has been demonstrated to increase cycle life by an order of magnitude or more under (HRPSoC) operation. Additionally, battery capacity increases on cycling and, in fact, exceeds the performance of the batteries when new.
Cabin heating of current electric vehicle (EV) designs is typically provided using electrical energy from the traction battery, since waste heat is not available from an engine as in the case of a conventional automobile. In very cold climatic conditions, the power required for space heating of an EV can be of a similar magnitude to that required for propulsion of the vehicle. As a result, its driving range can be reduced very significantly during the winter season, which limits consumer acceptance of EVs and results in increased battery costs to achieve a minimum range while ensuring comfort to the EV driver. To minimize the range penalty associated with EV cabin heating, a novel climate control system that includes thermal energy storage from an advanced phase change material (PCM) has been designed for use in EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The present paper focuses on the modeling and analysis of this electrical PCM-Assisted Thermal Heating System (ePATHS) and is a companion to the paper Design and Testing of a Thermal Storage System for Electric Vehicle Cabin Heating. A detailed heat transfer model was developed to simulate the PCM heat exchanger that is at the heart of the ePATHS and was subsequently used to analyze and optimize its design. The results from this analysis were integrated into a MATLAB Simulink system model to simulate the fluid flow, pressure drop and heat transfer in all components of the ePATHS. The system model was then used to predict the performance of the climate control system in the vehicle and to evaluate control strategies needed to achieve the desired temperature control in the cabin. The analysis performed to design the ePATHS is described in detail and the system s predicted performance in a vehicle HVAC system is presented.